The second annual Taste of Hayward runs tonight, Thursday, October 22, from 4 to 8 p.m. Last fall's first event had more than 15 stops. This year's roster lists 25. The new stops take the walk off B Street and onto A Street, Foothill Boulevard and Mission Boulevard. A year ago, several of the businesses now on the passport had either just opened or were still on the way.
The Downtown Hayward Improvement Association is hosting with the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are $35 plus a service fee and cover every tasting stop. The event page lists tickets as on sale.
Last year's lineup was mostly B Street regulars
When the East Bay Times previewed the first Taste of Hayward in September 2025, it named 16 participants already on board. The list included long-running names like Buffalo Bill's, The Bistro, Casa del Toro, Acqua e Farina, Snappy's Cafe and Metro Taquero, plus a few newcomers such as Gurkha Kitchen and Tang Jip. Eleven of those 16 are back on the 2026 roster: Aqua e Farina, Buffalo Bill's Cerveceria, Casa del Toro Cocina & Tequila, Erik's Deli Cafe, Golden Safari, Gurkha Kitchen, Khao Hom, Metro Taquero, Snappy's Café, Tang Jip and The Bistro.
At the time, some of those "newcomers" had only just opened. Patch reported in October 2025 that Tang Jip had opened that August, that Tram Cream Coffee had opened over the summer, and that Gurkha Kitchen had recently opened downtown. The same article listed Storybook and Teriyaki City Grill as still on the way. Storybook's general manager, Courtney Jackson, told Patch the restaurant was "something new and fresh" for B Street. Both are on tonight's passport.
Where the new stops sit
The 2026 list includes 14 names that weren't in last year's preview. Their addresses show where downtown's food scene has grown. Some fill gaps on B Street. Others sit on blocks that weren't part of the first year's walk.
| Stop | Address | Tonight's tasting |
|---|---|---|
| Sugarmama Sugarcane | 838 B St | Sugarcane juice |
| Storybook | 943 B St | Salted caramel brownie bites |
| T4 | 1033 B St | Passionfruit and Honey Peach Royal Tea, Earl Grey milk tea, popcorn chicken bites |
| Dali Tea | 1081 B St | Tea samples |
| BobJip | 1025 A St | Classic Korean noodles and vegetables |
| Sourdough & Co. | 22341 Foothill Blvd | Assorted menu items |
| Aama's Kitchen | 22556 Foothill Blvd | To be announced |
| The Old City Roastery | 22570 Foothill Blvd | Snacks from the Middle East |
| Teriyaki City Grill | 22501 Mission Blvd | Grilled chicken or ribeye steak, tofu available |
| Butter Pecan | 22656 Mission Blvd | Cookie samples |
The Foothill stretch is the clearest change. Aama's Kitchen serves Nepali and Indian food, from momos and thali to curries and tandoori. The Old City Roastery, a few doors down, sells Middle Eastern sweets, candies and nuts. Sourdough & Co. makes deli sandwiches on fresh sourdough. On Mission, Teriyaki City Grill cooks Japanese fast-casual meals to order on the griddle. Butter Pecan Bakeshop does Southern-inspired cookies. Over on A Street, BobJip's menu runs to kimbap, fried chicken and bibimbap.
Four more stops are new to the lineup but not shown in the table: Tram Cream Coffee pouring Saigon coffee or its house special milk tea, Nomi's Cafe with chili corn, hoagies, sliders and a fruit spritzer, Cold Stone Creamery with a scoop of any flavor, and World Famous Turf Club with a frozen margarita or frozen Malibu punch.
What the returning names are serving
The regulars also give the passport its range. Casa del Toro is doing prawns and polenta with black garlic and lemon butter sauce, plus a saffron seafood shooter in lobster broth. Aqua e Farina has house-made gnocchi in a light tomato cream sauce and penne al pesto. Buffalo Bill's is serving clam chowder and wings in your choice of lemon pepper or honey chili glaze. Gurkha Kitchen has chicken or veggie momo with a cocktail samosa. Metro Taquero has mini tacos and mini flautas. Tang Jip is serving thin-cut fish cake with carrot and sweet sauce.
The passport marks dietary options. Golden Safari, Gurkha Kitchen, Aama's Kitchen, Sugarmama Sugarcane and T4 carry the vegan tag, and 11 stops are marked vegetarian. Organizers note that restaurants, routes and menus can still change.
How to work a route this spread out
A bigger map changes how you pace the night. Organizers say most people collect all their tastings in one to two hours, even though the event runs four. With stops now on Foothill and Mission, picking your order before you leave the fountain helps.
- Check in at City Hall. Check-in is near the fountain at 777 B St. It opens at 3:45 p.m. and closes at 7:15 p.m. Your ticket QR code gets scanned and swapped for a printed passport.
- Wait for 4 p.m. You can check in early, but no stop will serve before 4.
- Use the front of the passport. The map is on the front, and each participating business has a sign out front with its stop number. You can start anywhere. The back lists every stop and what it's serving.
- Hand it over at each stop. Staff check your box, give you your tasting and hand the passport back. It's your ticket for the whole night, so hang on to it.
- Bring ID for four stops. The Bistro, Buffalo Bill's Cerveceria, Casa del Toro Cocina & Tequila and World Famous Turf Club are serving alcohol samples. Those are 21 and over with valid state-issued ID.
- Finish by 8. The event ends at 8 p.m. sharp.
For getting there, organizers point to the city's free downtown parking options and suggest BART or AC Transit. CSU East Bay students can take AC Transit Line 60 to Hayward BART for free with the EasyPass.
The next dates on Hayward's fall calendar
Two of the next big dates move the action off downtown's restaurant blocks. The first is two days away. Trunk or Treat has moved to Kennedy Park, 19501 Hesperian Boulevard, for Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City of Hayward announced that the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District is hosting this year's free event, continuing the tradition that Hayward Public Library and Hayward Promise Neighborhoods started. The day includes live music, games, performances, crafts and scavenger hunts.
A week later, the calendar comes back to Foothill. The Hayward Area Historical Society hosts Monsters and Marigolds at its museum, 22380 Foothill Boulevard, on Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It mixes Halloween and Día de los Muertos with music, art, crafts and take-home treats. The museum is a short walk from tonight's Foothill stops.
After that, the HARD calendar moves into the holidays:
- Pop-Up Holiday Boutique: Saturday, November 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kenneth C. Aitken Senior & Community Center
- H.A.R.D. Holiday Lights: December 1, 2 and 3, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each evening, at Mt. Eden Mansion, McConaghy House and Meek Mansion
- The Holiday Drop, Youth Maker's Market: Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., San Felipe Community Center
Downtown Hayward's Dine directory lists addresses for the restaurants, cafés and bars on tonight's route, so you can find your favorite stops again after the event.
If you live near one of tonight's stops and wonder how a busier downtown affects your home's value, we'd love to walk through it with you. The Duarte Team is a family-led team that covers Hayward and the rest of the East Bay, and we're happy to put real numbers on your street. Request a Free Home Valuation and we'll be in touch.
